The matter was one of the issues under discussion at a recent NW Exco meeting held in Taung. Local Government spokesperson, Brian Setswambung, says a report on poaching in the province indicates that international buyers, national couriers, exporters and local poaching groups are all involved in the illicit trade. He adds that future collaboration efforts are being explored with foreign countries to deal with this challenge.

 “Law enforcement agencies of countries such as China have shown interest in working together with the province in ensuring that we intensify the arrests of the perpetrators that are involved in this crime of rhino poaching,” Setswambung adds.

He further adds that the Executive commended the work done by the Department of Rural, Environment and Agricultural Development, private security, the Police, and State Security Intelligence, which has led to several arrests.

The IFP’s Narend Singh last month in the National Assembly said South Africa is on track to lose more than a thousand rhino for the fifth straight year. Singh called for the government to take stronger and more decisive action against the onslaught. In total 483 mortalities have been reported nationally in the first five and a half months of 2017.

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